Odds and Ends: Polanco, NL West, Bench

-Placido Polanco was given his 4th cortisone shot of the season yesterday in Philadelphia while the Phillies made their way to Atlanta for their season-ending three game series. Charlie Manuel said he wanted to get Polly some at bats before the end of the season, meaning an appearance either Saturday or Sunday.

The shot worries me a bit. We’ll know in about 48 hours how Polanco feels, but if you recall during the year, he spent part of June and July on the disabled list with this same ailment following a cortisone shot. However, his average has dipped from a season-high .325 on August 17 to .298 currently. Polanco is obviously hurting, so let’s hope this shot takes to his bum elbow and forearm, which has tendinitis. They can ill afford to have their best contact hitter slumping during the postseason.

In May, after getting his first shot, he came back three days later and went on a tear by collecting at least one hit in nine straight games. Let’s hope the results are the same this time around.

-The NL West may have just been locked up. The Giants won last night while the Padres fell 1-0 to drop to three back in the division. San Francisco and San Diego play each other three times to close out the season, so the Pads need a sweep to win the division. They can still get into the playoffs as the Wild Card if Atlanta falters.

Atlanta holds a two game lead and as you know, play the Phillies this weekend. If the Braves were to be swept and the Padres were to take two of three in their series, San Diego would tie the Atlanta forcing a one game playoff. Here is the entire postseason picture.

We know Cincinnati is in and if the playoff situation holds true, the Phillies would play the Reds in the NLDS while the Giants and Braves would do battle. I’d be hoping for a Padres sweep because they are by far the weakest club still alive and are limping toward the finish. San Francisco has the best club besides the Phils, but as of now an NLDS matchup is not likely. But a lot can change over the next 72 hours.

-Which way should Charlie Manuel go with the bench? Here’s my take. He should bring more bats and less arms.

Eleven pitchers for a short five-game NLDS with three of your horses going is more than enough. Hell, he could even bring 10 with him. Plus, with the three off days over the eight-day series, the arms in the bullpen will remain fresh. So who stays and who goes?

I don’t think Baez makes it and I do believe Bastardo has pitched himself into the 11. However, we do know that Charlie Manuel is a creature of habit, so don’t be surprised to see Bastrado off with the possibility of Baez.

Sadly, I don’t see Brown making it because of the uncertainty of Jimmy Rollins’ leg. Yes, he’ll play and has played. But should something happen, they would be without a guy who can play a corner infield position. Dobbs is the only guy who can play third base other than Valdez and if an injury occurs, there would be no backup. It’s a shame, because we would all like to see what Brown can do in the playoffs, but position scarcity will hurt Dom here, I do believe.

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70 Comments

Manny

October 1, 2010 at 10:27 am

I also think that would be the guys Charlie will choose. No real surprises. If we do play the Reds, and that seems increasingly likely, then there’s an even bigger argument to choose Bastardo over Baez. The Rays two power hitters –and arguably their two best hitters all around– are lefties: Votto and Jay Bruce. There could be that key situation when we need a LOOGY to come in and put out the fire with a guy like Votto or Bruce at the plate. For the Padres, however, the only really dangerous lefty they have is Adrian Gonzalez… after that, it’s a sharp drop off (Matt Stairs… and who else?).

I think Polly and Ruiz having a good post-season is most crucial here. With out them two been successful i fear we will be in deep problemas. These two guys are crucial folks to our post season success. If we can get these two going everything else will hopefully fall in place. These the guys that are going to get the runs in either by driving them or crossing the plate. I hope Ryno gets his strikeouts down an same for Jayson. We cant have them 2 striking out back to back.

Tough decisions on playoff roster, but I agree that Dom Brown sits this one out due to the need for corner infield coverage. That means Dobbs goes to the playoffs. Also, Baez should not make the playoff team,. either. That is based on his poor performance. Keep fingers crossed for Polanco’s injury being less of a problem. He is a tough guy and a genuine asset to this team.

So unless Salisbury doesn’t know what he’s talking about (and I started laughing as I typed that), Wilson Valdez is to be appreciated for his contribution this season.

Anyone who’s been watching the games and paying attention knows Wilson’s value and the great contributions he’s made to the 2010 Phillies, but it’s good to see that he’s getting some positive press in the legitimate media.

As for the Sweeney story, this is what a gold standard team does. They simply ACT like a gold standard team, they don’t talk about being a gold standard team (looking straight at the unholy trinity of Banner, Lurie, and Reid). It’s also good to see stories of one good turn being rewarded and however many years later, Howard still remembers and appreciates those who helped get him to where he is now.

Personally – don’t think leaving D-Brown off the roster is the worst thing; he’s been hurt somewhat, hasn’t gotten alot of at bats over the past month, and the pressure of a kid making his first playoff appearance under these circumstances may be too much.

Let’s face it – if he is used it’s probably going to be to pitch hit and – don’t know how he would fair.

So, Benny boy hits two home runs the other night and people are saying – “Who needs Jason Werth?”.

Getting past the silliness of that statement for a minute one should ask – can Francisco be a legitimate solution to our right bat situation? I think there is a school of thought that Francisco can be a legitimate everyday player.

He had 500 ABs w/Indians in 2008 and batted.266 w/54 ribbies and 15 dingers.

…..and you know what. These numbers are actually better then Werth’s were prior to coming to Philly. However, physically, he’s not the horse Werth is; 4 inches shorter and 30 lbs lighter.

Honestly Dobbs is atrocious and if they get injured he will not bring ANYTHING to this club to help. I say Charlie rolls the dice that Rollins or Polanco will be able to play and puts Dominic on the roster.

If Dobbs has to see any significant or important at bats its going to be horrific to watch. Besides the fact that he is a liability on defense and really could hurt the team there as well.

I understand the need for someone to play if an injury happens, but why the heck is our last option Dobbs? Ugh I hate that he has only survived on the major league roster because of injuries.

Actually, I think it might hurt Dom Brown worse if he’s not quite healthy and put in the playoffs. He will be in the playoffs at some point in his career, there’s no reason to rush it.

Now if he could play third base, there’d be no reason to keep him off the roster. It pains me to say it, but I’d trust a Dom Brown who’s reasonably proficient at third base more than I’d trust Greg Dobbs.

Of course, if we’re talking about shuffling guys in the event of a true emergency (think left-fielder Roy Oswalt proportions), Ibanez has seen first base before and the other fielders could be shuffled to make room for Dom Brown. And there’s still Wilson Valdez to fill in if Rollins or Polanco (the most likely candidates due to injuries) go down.

And the Ibanez to first scenario doesn’t even consider the fact that Mike Sweeney’s a better fit there, it just makes room for and justifies bringing Dom Brown on over Greg Dobbs without leaving a big hole if both Rollins and Polanco need time off and Wilson Valdez can’t clone himself.

Pat,
Do you (or does anyone else) know anything about the emergency replacement rule for the playoffs? I read an article about it yesterday, but couldn’t find anything else to support it. The article is from three years ago, the link is below. Basically the way I read it, it seems that if we only kept Valdez and not Dobbs, we could then (with commissioner approval), bring Dobbs back mid series if needed. That way we could keep D Brown. Let me know what you think.

I am not a Dobbs lover but the simple fact is that you have two injured guys at SS and 3B and only one guy to fill in. As the game goes on if one is injured that means you could not even pinch hit for Valdez in a key spot in a game because you would have no one left to play the infield. Measuring that vs the need for an unproven pinch hitter (we have Gload remember) means that neither Dobbs or Brown would be used in any key situation.

Charlie needs the flexibility to pinch hit for Valdez, right now only Dobbs provides that flexibiliy (as the fielder, not the pinch hitter). I don’t understand the how Ibanez playing first helps anything on the other side of the infield.

In a perfect world, Dom Brown goes to the playoffs. We want to win this thing. I am not a Dobbs fan, but he has been in the playoffs, hit in the playoffs and can play three positions. He is also the last man on the roster. Eventually, Dom Brown will start for the Phils in the playoffs. We have the outfielders, we need the infielders. Baez stays home.

First, and most importantly, the roster can be changed after each series. They can have one roster for the DS, tweak it for the CS, and again for the WS if they chose. The strong point of the Phils by far is the starting pitching. We’re only going to use 3 starters in the DS. Blanton and KK are very unlikely to see meaningful innings.

Second – there is a lot of down time scheduled in. Even if a 5 game series, every bullpen arm could pitch every go back to back games 3 and 4 – all other games have a day off.

Third, the offense has been inconsistent. With a rusty Rollins in the line-up, it may be more so (esp if Charlie puts him at lead-off). We may have to scrape out a run, and extra speed would be nice to have.

I don’t see why we even need 11 pitchers on the divisional series roster – go with 10. Baez or Herndon aren’t coming in with the game on the line – only in a blow out. If you need garbage time, put in Blanton – it will keep him loose for the NLCS. Go with 10 pitchers, then utilize double switches if you need to scrap out a run. Durbin, Madson, and Contreras can all go two innings if needed. With Bastardo and Romero, you’ll have flexibility with match-ups, then Lidge to close. Leave KK, Herndon, and Baez off the roster, bring KK back in the ALCS. Charlie may have to talk KK off the ledge, but that is his strong point.

This will allow for Dobbs and Brown to be on the active roster, can pinch run Brown if needed, still have the insurance of an extra infielder, without losing another quality bench bat (Francisco) to only run. For the ALCS, I’d leave Brown off, unless someone goes down in the DS.

The only thing I can say about Brown. Is he would be the “Ron Washington” ( not busted for drugs I mean designated pinch runner).
There are times in the playoffs where you want the fastest available guy to run the bases for a Sweeney or a Ruiz when you are tied or down a run in the late or extra innings. Id almost like to go with an extra postion player than an extra reliever. Id rather have a speedster than a Baez who will only pitch in a blow out. I mean if we are losing 11-0 who cares if we have a mop up guy that day?

Only under this specific circumstance would you find me saying this (like a 2nd grader): Okayyy, Dobbs can be on the team. But ONLY b/c I don’t think Brown’s up to it. Dobbs is just, sort of, less not up to it than Brown. That’s the best I can do.

BUT he shouldn’t play unless everyone else feels ill, er something. ACK — the thought of him actually on the field during an important game makes ME feel sick.

The poor man. At some point he must’ve been better than this but I have no memory of it.

Id rather have Mayberry or Sweeney up against a rightie than Dobbs.
Dobbs shouldnt be used anymore not in the playoffs not next year.
Its sad when you watch a guy lose his livelyhood but we have.
I also think the old man will pick the right guys so whoever he picks Ill support.

When the ballpark in ATL sells out that means there are 56K to 58K people in the park., more than 1000 standing room tickets will be sold,

BTW the sellout crowd is to honor bobby.., and i personally am not a big fan of Bobby. Players and his crew love him to death as he doesn’t say a single word against them.. i have seen charlier manuel jumping up and down like a drunken monkey last year when phillies had a bad start., Bobby will never do that.. even if braves get swept by phillies this weekend , bobby will have only great stuff about his team to share with media..

BTW there will be tickets available in ATL even if braves get to WCS. Like I said there are tons of SEC fans who are ready to pay their entire paycheck to go watch their college team play football, but they don’t give a damn for the braves, maybe they have lost all the fun and excitement when braves made to post season those 15 years and won only 1 WCS..,

I just heard the tail end of the Braves radio show earlier where they mentioned Jason Werth told a Braves fan to shutup and go home, or, something to that effect. The announcer laughed and said Werth needs to cut his nappy hair and learn some southern hospitality.

True. Werth looks like he lives in a dumpster and seems to have a little ego. I can’t believe you Philly fans haven’t nicknamed him Skeletor. Ugly freak!

With all the season ending injuries braves have i am not reallly expecting any miracles from this team even if they get to playoffs.., Chipper, Prado, Medlen, OFlarety, Saito, who are the real braves and they will not be playing the rest of the season anymore.,

what we have are loaners in Derek Lee, Alex Gonzalez, Rick Ankiel, Kyle farnsworth etc.., They are not braves team,

Desribrave, haven’t you learned you’re trying to explain facts and reason with Philly fans will get you nowhere? These Philly fans/players are still new to this winning thing. Braves fans are used to it, even after missing postseason play for 5 years, it’s still fresh in our minds.

Wait for it…. “LOL, the Braves only won one 1 world series in how many tries…. HAHAHAHA!!!”

That’s all they got on us. Nevermind they were our little bi** for years and years, along with the rest of the league.

But it makes sense to use Cole his last outing was bad. And if he pitches sat that means he is game 3 starter in cinncinatti. Which isnt till next sunday. So he figures to start one of these and thats smart. Oswalt isnt going till a week from today so maybe if charlie wanted to bust thier balls he could use him too. But he wont.

I didn’t realize this was the style blog. I could care less if Werth never showered, had two heads,…. He’s here to play baseball. Based upon attendance, more Braves “fans” would recognize Werth than their current roster.

@BravoMan – your extensive vocabulary tells me that you probably didn’t see much of the Braves ‘glory years’ because you were probably an infant or sitting in time out for eating boogers – It’s too bad you probably won’t be seeing another run of ‘glory years’ for a long while.

All in all, I think everybody here is just stoked to have the Phillies team that we have now.

Have fun telling people how good you were at sports in high school – when you’re middle-aged and slow. Those were the ‘glory years’ huh?

ARROYO TO START GAME 1??? Bronson Arroyo talked like a guy counting on starting Game 1 of the National League Division Series. He said he would have either five or six days of rest before his next start. That points starting Wednesday or Thursday when the NL Division Series begin.

Arroyo is also counting on facing Philadelphia.

“It’s going to be in a hostile environment, probably Philly,” he said. I’m going to have to be on my A game to beat those guys. I think if you ask anyone we’d rather face anyone but Philly. But whoever comes along we’ve got to beat them.”

The Phillies will be a tough draw for Arroyo. They are a left-handed dominated lineup. Left-handers hit .287 off Arroyo; right-handers .185.

“They’re tough. Top to bottom, they’ve got the best team in the National League,” Arroyo said. “They’ve got speed, power, a good pitching staff. We’ll go over there and hopefully we can handle them.”

Sunday is fine too. but why would he not pitch much ? Whats the point. You are trying to keep him sharp. He wasnt in his last start.
80-90 pitches. Why wouldnt you? The reason you play him is to keep his normaly going. Pitching 30 pitches would be abnormal.
Sometimes over baby players. But I doubt the old man will.
Now throw Oswalt sat to piss off the braves tards.

I have no sympathy for Padres. Like somone else said. Should have won more games.

Hamels and oswalt to split saturday?
Thats cool.
Have to say would love to take these 3 and eliminate the bravesless.
But i am realistic. Colorado and SD allowed the braves to back in.
SF is probably a bigger favorite over them than the Phils are over the Reds to me.

The mets will be a mess next year though .
I dont know if Torre will take it. But it would be great if he would. Let him lose 90 games. That may keep him away but it does make sense. If he thought he could compete next year I think he would take the job.

Be nice to take 2 of 3 or all 3 this weekend. But does SD deserve help even?

I think the cold hard truth is that Dobber will get the Spot based only the possibilities of injury. It sucks chocolate salted balls that he is our only option at this point. This is more RAJ miscalculations than anything. When Castro was released he should of been looking for other options. When Sweeney was bought in(nothing against Sweeney love him) I think it would of made more sense for the Phils to bring in a Utility guy instead. The multitude of injuries this year has bought complex problems to the tables. I suppose in a dire emergency Gload seems like he may able to play some 3rd base. After Valdez, Dobber to me he seems like the most logical replacement.

Wow, is this a People Magazine site? Are we’re believing rumors (substantiation on that stupid “fan story”??) & critiquing baseball player’s hair? I don’t think so. Maybe the “Bravos” players enjoy that. But basically the Phillies do what they want and we’re fine with it.

Other cities don’t seem to be distracted by hair & a beard. I just read the following at the San Francisco Chronicle site – Bruce Jenkins, writer:

“Can’t think of a crazier move this off-season than the Phillies letting Jayson Werth escape on the free-agent market. I don’t care who his agent is (Scott Boras) or what hot young prospect is coming up in outfield (Domonic Brown); Werth is an absolute stud, a winner, symbolizing everything good about that exceptional team. Signing him to a long-term deal will be a weighty burden on their payroll, but the Phillies make a ton of money from attendance and postseason revenue. To be sure, they’ve survived some key departures in the past. They replaced Aaron Rowand with Shane Victorino, and they forgot about Pat Burrell once Raul Ibanez came to town. They lost Pedro Feliz and actually got better with Placido Polanco. Even the Cliff Lee deal — a monumentally dumb move by management — seems less disastrous with the acquisition of Roy Oswalt. But there’s something about Werth that, to me, makes him a special case. And he should realize what he’s got in that town. It sure sounded that way the other day, when he said, “it would seem like good business to keep this club together, continue to win, and create a dynasty-type situation. We play good together, we have great chemistry. This is an unbelievable place to come to work every day.”‘